Q: Did Kellyanne Conway say liberal women hate her because of her “striking beauty and intellect”?
A: There’s no evidence she did. That claim comes from a website that warns readers to rely on its information “at your own risk.”
FULL ANSWER
Skeptical Facebook users flagged a story posted on the London Web News website as potentially fake. The headline reads: “Liberal Women Hate Me Because Of My ‘Striking Beauty And Intellect’, Says Kellyanne Conway.”
The story claims Conway, the White House counselor to President Donald Trump, made the statement “to a reporter at a luncheon in Washington D.C.,” and that “pundits were quick to capitalise on her comments and tell her that if she and her boss were doing a good job and being open and honest with the American people then she wouldn’t have to face much criticism.”
There’s no evidence Conway said that. We did a search in Nexis, a news database, for the terms “Conway” and “striking beauty and intellect” and did not find any news articles or commentary from pundits that contained those terms.
There are other reasons to believe that Conway never made the statement attributed to her, as the story raises several red flags that we often see with fake news.
For example, there is no byline identifying the author. In fact, the London Web News website doesn’t include the names of any reporters, editors or other staffers. The “contact us” page contains only a Gmail address. It also provides no identifying information about its website in the WHOIS database — which lists the owners of each domain name — unlike legitimate news organizations, such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. Instead, London Web News shields its identity in WHOIS using WHOISGuard.
The story also makes it impossible to verify any of the reported information. It doesn’t name the reporter who allegedly spoke to Conway at the luncheon, nor does it say when and at what venue the event took place.
More important, the London Web News, which may sound like a legitimate news organization, says in a disclaimer that it can’t vouch for the accuracy of its posts and advises readers to rely on its information “at your own risk.”
London Web News: The information contained in this website is for general informational purposes only and or educational purposes. The Information [sic] is provided by www.londonwebnews.com and while we endeavour to keep this information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services or related graphics and images contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
The fact that the quote attributed to Conway comes from unreliable source and cannot be found in a news database leads us to believe it is fabricated.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org is one of several organizations working with Facebook to help identify and label viral fake news stories flagged by readers on the social media network.
Sources
London Web News. “Liberal Women Hate Me Because Of My ‘Striking Beauty And Intellect’, Says Kellyanne Conway.” Accessed 15 Jun 2017.
Kiely, Eugene, and Robertson, Lori. “How to Spot Fake News.” FactCheck.org. 18 Nov 2016.
London Web News. “Privacy Policy And Disclaimer.” Accessed 15 Jun 2017.
London Web News. “Contact Us.” Accessed 21 June 2017.
“About Us.” WHOIS. Undated, accessed 21 Jun 2017.
“FAQ.” WhoIsGuard. Undated, accessed 21 Jun 2017.
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